Eco Green Tips

photo credit: Lyssuel Calvet

This is the season when most people travel more than any other time of the year thus contributing to the general CO2 emissions.

If you’re concerned about the effect you have on the environment while traveling to the exotic places or just across the state border, there are a few simple steps you can take to minimize the unwelcome effects.

First of all, learn to travel light. Any extra 10 lbs of luggage per passenger necessitates 350 gallons of fuel more yearly. Moreover, the more luggage has to go through the security check-points, the more energy is used on scanning and moving it around. Besides, the less baggage you have, the less tags and airline stickers you will need, which will further save some resources, such as paper.

As for driving, remember that each additional 100 lbs of cargo increases fuel consumption by 2%. So the less you take, the better your car’s fuel economy will be, thus saving you money on gas.

And once you hit the hotel, skip the hotel toiletries. By bringing your own personal hygiene items, you save all  those pesky little plastic bottles for someone else to use. Moreover, your own cosmetics are probably much better for your skin and hair since you know what you’re accustomed to. And use only one towel per person for as long as possible and leave the other available towels untouched. This way you ensure that the hotel does less laundry and saves on water and energy.

Furthermore, turn off all the unnecessary lights in your hotel room and bring your own glasses or mugs. This way, you will save some greenhouse gas emissions and will reduce the use of disposable plastic containers or plastic wrappers the hotel glasses are wrapped in to keep them sanitary.

These are just a few steps you can implement to make your travel greener and your carbon footprint lighter, which will benefit not only you and your family but the planet as well.

Most people enjoy swimming and with the summer in the full bloom, it does seem like the best way to cool off. However, spending too much time in the pools filled with harsh chemicals, of which chlorine is the most known one, takes its toll on one’s skin and hair.

Moreover, latest studies have found that chlorine exposure (either by inhalation or swallowing) is the cause of the increased number of asthma cases in children and young adults. So if you’re worried about the effects toxic chemicals in pool water have on your health but are not into swimming in bacteria infested waters, natural pools may be an option for you.

Natural pools have been known and popular in Europe for a number of years now and are an eco-friendly and beautiful alternative to the chlorine-filled conventional pools. The water in them is crystal clear and, most importantly, clean to the point that it can be safely drank, claim the designers (e.g. Whole Water Systems, LLC). They require no chemical cleaning since the principle upon which such pools are created incorporates various plants to create self-cleaning mini eco-systems. What is quite interesting about natural pools is that they have a much lower maintenance costs and the installation costs are nearly the same as the conventional pool.

If natural pools are not you cup of tea and you still like the feel of the conventional pool but are concerned about the toxic chemicals, there may be a way out. There are a few new methods of cleaning the pool water without resorting to chemical treatments. These include an alternative pool system that pumps the water through a chamber containing coated titanium plates and copper and zinc ions or ozone injectors that reduce the need for chlorine up to 90%. Some pool cleaning systems combine ozone with copper and silver ions while others use a simple method of adding salt to the water. This last method has its disadvantages since the presence of salt may lead to the formation of chlorine in the water.

Whichever one of these systems you choose, it is definitely a more eco-friendly solution to the conventional swimming pools filled with harsh chemicals. And luckily, the industry is growing thus providing the customers with an increasing number of green solutions without stripping them of the numerous conveniences.

photo credit: Natura Paparazzo

Last April a major Swiss conglomerate has agreed to stop any seismic testing that had been planned to take place on the Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, which is one of the main feeding grounds for the endangered gray whale.

This decision was reached at the meeting called forth by the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP), which includes 11 prominent scientists in the field, in order to discontinue any gas and oil developments in and around the feeding areas for the Western Gray Whale.

The meeting was held between the WGWAP and the representatives of Shell, Sakhalin Energy (a partnership between Shell, Gasprom and other shareholders), Russian government officials, project lenders and environmental NGOs and ended in an environmental step forward, since the parties agreed to cancel all planned seismic activities in the Russian Far East, despite the fact that the plans were already put to work.

Such small victories are a good example of the fact that even the big conglomerates and corporation when faced with undeniable science as well as provided with a certain amount of compromise can be reasonable. Thus, perhaps it is not too late to save our planet.

If you’re one of the people that like to use those scrubbing sponges for all kinds of kitchen (and bathroom) cleaning but are concerned about their impact on the environment, here’s some good news. There are a few companies that offer more sustainable versions of the old-fashioned sponge.

Here are some of the more eco-friendly types of the scrubbing sponges available on the market:

Walnut shells—Scotch-Brite offers a slightly more eco-friendly version of their most popular scrubber. While the sponge part is still made of cellulose, the scrubbing part is made of walnut shells, which are natural and biodegradable instead of nylon, a synthetic fiber that does not break when discarded. However, this type of scrubber is not advisable for people with nut allergies. Another walnut shell variation of a scrubbing sponge is made by a company named Spongezz.

Natural fibers—Twist offers a variety of sponges made of materials such as loofah, bamboo or hemp cloth that are designed to be both sustainable and pleasant for the customer.

Shredded sandpaper—these types of scrubbing cleaners are designed for jobs requiring a lot more durability and are meant to replace the conventional steel wool scrubbers. They are made from shredded sandpaper and work without using a detergent, which makes them excellent not only for household cleaning but scrubbing fruit and vegetables as well. Available from Sandclean.

And if you cannot find any of these eco-friendly sponges or simply don’t want to spend money on a product that will end up in the garbage, use your imagination and create your own home-made sponges or cleaning cloths. Old cotton t-shirts or socks make fantastic cloths that can be used for any type of household cleaning. So unleash your creativity and be amazed at how many things you already have available around your house that can be used for cleaning.